Technically speaking, there is a change going on in some Long Island schools. Many schools are moving away from having stationary desktop computers in classrooms to wireless laptops that are carted from classroom to classroom. Now, along with textbooks and marbled notepads, students are typing away at their desks.

Apparently, students like it and administrators love it. According to Bill Heidenreich, technology director for Bellmore-Merrick, the use of laptops and carts maximize limited resources.

Professor Dale Mann said, "The average driver of a Coca-Cola delivery van has more technology in the cab than the average Long Island teacher has in the classroom." But as is the nature of technology, the rate of change is difficult to keep up with, especially in education. Mann says that whatever device is used for learning, it should be available to everyone. He is currently doing research on "thin-clients," inexpensive, low-power laptop devices for students home use.

The article, entitled "Laptop Revolution: Some LI School Districts are Going Wild for Wireless" appeared in the April 9th, 2001 edition of the Newsday.

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Published Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2001